ROME, July 18, 2023 (AFP) – Swathes of Europe baked Tuesday in a heatwave trailed by wildfires and health warnings, as parts of Asia and the United States also suffered under extreme weather. Firefighters battled blazes in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands, Spain issued heat alerts while some children in Italy’s Sardinia were warned away from sports for safety reasons. “You can’t be in the street, it’s horrible,” said Lidia Rodriguez, 27, in […]
Europe
World must prepare for more intense heatwaves: UN
GENEVA, July 18, 2023 (AFP) – The world should get ready to face increasingly intense heatwaves, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, as countries across the Northern Hemisphere reeled from soaring temperatures. Health authorities have sounded the alarm from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and shelter from the burning sun, in a stark reminder of the effects of global warming. “These events will continue to grow in intensity, and […]
Russia warns of Black Sea risks after grain deal exit
KYIV, Ukraine, July 18, 2023 (AFP) – Russia on Tuesday issued a veiled warning over the future of grain exports via the Black Sea, after Moscow refused to extend a key agreement allowing safe passage for cargo ships from Ukrainian ports. The caution came hours after Ukraine said a Russian strike overnight had damaged facilities at the southern port of Odesa, one of the main transit hubs for grain under the pact signed with the […]
Baby’s body found on Spain beach from migrant shipwreck: police
BARCELONA, July 18, 2023 (AFP) – A baby’s body that washed up on a Spanish beach last week is that of the eight-month-old girl from a shipwreck that killed all 15 migrants aboard, police said Tuesday. The boat carrying the infant and her parents along with 12 others left northern Algeria on March 21 and sank off Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean on April 6, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said on a statement. […]
Russia says downed 28 drones over Crimea
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian forces have downed 28 Ukrainian drones over Crimea overnight, Moscow’s defense ministry and a local official said on Tuesday. Seventeen drones sent by Ukraine’s forces overnight were “destroyed” and another 11 were “suppressed” by electronic means, Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement. It said there were no casualties or damage. Crimea’s Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram that 28 drones had been downed or destroyed during the night. […]
Cheers and sneers as Bulgaria unveils EU’s highest flagpole
By Diana SIMEONOVA Agence France-Presse ROZHEN, Bulgaria (AFP) — A soaring mast in the mountains of southern Bulgaria has made the EU’s poorest country as the home of the bloc’s highest flagpole, filling some with pride and drawing scorn from others. Nationalism and populism are on the rise in the Balkan nation, where many remain strongly Russophile despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The immense 1,110-square-metre flag, meant to symbolise Bulgaria’s territory of 111,000 square […]
Ukraine activates air defenses in Odesa region
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine activated aerial defenses in coastal Odesa early Tuesday, authorities said, hours after Russia refused to extend a deal allowing the safe export of grain from the region. “Odesa. Air defense combat work continues,” said Sergiy Bratchuk, spokesman for the Odessa military region, on Telegram. The Odesa region in southern Ukraine is home to maritime terminals that were key to the expired grain export agreement between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia was […]
Plane crashes into hangar in Poland, killing five
WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — A small plane crashed into a hangar at an airfield near Warsaw on Monday, killing five people, officials said. Rescuers said three people were aboard the plane when it collided with the corrugated iron hangar, where 13 people were sheltering from a storm. “Five people died and eight others were injured, two of them seriously,” said Warsaw police spokesman Sylwester Marczak, adding that the pilot was among the dead. The plane […]
Mercury hits new highs as heat waves scorch the globe
ATHENS, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – Temperatures reached new highs on Monday as heatwaves and wildfires scorched swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 children close to a Greek seaside resort. Health authorities have sounded alarms from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and shelter from the burning sun, in a stark reminder of the effects of global warming. Near Athens, a forest fire flared in strong […]
Ukraine grain deal expires after Russia refuses extension
MOSCOW, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – The deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain to global markets via the Black Sea expired at midnight in Istanbul (2100 GMT) after Russia refused an extension. The deadline was set when the arrangement, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022 to avoid food shortages in vulnerable countries, was last extended for two months in May. The Kremlin on Monday said it was exiting the deal, having […]
President Putin vows ‘response’ after Ukraine attack on Crimea bridge
MOSCOW, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed to retaliate after a Ukrainian attack on a bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to Russia killed two civilians and left their child wounded. “Another terrorist attack was committed on the bridge last night,” Putin said in televised remarks. “Of course, there will be a response from Russia. The defence ministry is preparing relevant proposals,” he added. “From a military point of view, this is […]
Ukraine says retook territory near Bakhmut in past week
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine said on Monday its forces had retaken several square kilometres of territory around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May. Kyiv last month began its highly anticipated fightback against entrenched Russian troops after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces. “Over the past week, as a result of the improvement of the operational (tactical) position and alignment of the front line in the Bakhmut […]